Friday, January 13, 2017

After I posted yesterday about Persephone Books, a longtime Illinois reader of my blog emailed me and asked, "Did I miss something? You are going to share your choices, aren't you? I'll be waiting!"

So here's what I ordered, for Susan and anyone else who's interested. The descriptions are mainly copied from Persephone's online catalog with some editing by me. The numbers represent when they were published in terms of their catalog.

. . .

Book 39: Manja by Anna Gmeyner

TRANSLATED BY KATE PHILLIPSPREFACE BY EVA IBBOTSON552pp

Written in London by a young Austrian playwright in exile, Manja opens, radically, with five conception scenes one night in 1920. Set in the turbulent Germany of the Weimar Republic, it goes on, equally dramatically, to describe the lives of the children and their families until 1933 when the Nazis came to power. 'What is so unusual,' wrote the playwright Berthold Viertel in 1938, 'is the way the novel contrasts the children's community — in all its idealism, romanticism, decency and enchantment — with the madhouse community of the adults.'

Book 89: The Mystery of Mrs Blencarrow by Mrs. Oliphant

PREFACE BY MERRYN WILLIAMS208pp

Mrs Oliphant (1828-97), one of the outstanding writers of the nineteenth century, was in her time as well-known as Dickens, George Eliot and Mrs Gaskell: ‘the exemplary woman of letters’ is how the literary critic Queenie Leavis described her. And the novelist Penelope Fitzgerald's claim was that ‘Mrs Oliphant is at her very best in novellas and short stories.’ She suggested that two of them, The Mystery of Mrs Blencarrow (1890) and Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamond (1886), might well be reprinted together, which is what we have now done, and pointed out that the strongest theme running through all the books is that of the helpless man and the strong woman. Both novellas are about women left on their own to run their own households.

Book 94: No Surrender by Constance Maud

PREFACE BY LYDIA FELLGETT328pp

This is Persephone's first suffragette novel, originally published in November 1911 when the struggle for the vote was at its height.

The narrative is faithful to real facts and incidents, with some of the main characters drawing on leading suffrage figures. One is based on Lady Constance Lytton and another, the heroine Jenny Clegg, is a Lancashire mill girl — thus putting paid to the myth that the suffrage movement was mainly middle-class: the main focus of the novel is on the strong support for women’s suffrage by women workers in the textile mills and on the prejudice against votes for women on the part of many of the men in the labour movement.

When Emily Wilding Davison, who was to die in 1913 under the King’s horse at the Epsom Derby, reviewed "No Surrender," she wrote: ‘There is scarcely a notable incident of the militant campaign which is left untouched . . . But for vivid realism, the pictures of prison life, of the Hunger Strike and Forcible Feeding, are difficult to beat. It is a book which breathes the very spirit of the Women’s Movement."

Book 115: Maman, What Are We Called Now? by Jacqueline Mesnil-Amar

TRANSLATED BY FRANCINE YORKEPREFACE BY CAROLINE MOOREHEAD216pp

The author's husband was arrested and disappeared in July 1944; for the next six weeks his wife kept a diary which is an unparalleled description of the last days of the Occupation in Paris as they actually happened. Photographs by Therese Bonney.

Book 116: A Lady and Her Husband by Amber Reeves

PREFACE BY SAMANTHA ELLIS360pp

Amber Reeves had been one of the young women visiting the working-class families in Lambeth when her mother Maud Pember Reeves was writing "Round About a Pound a Week" PB No.79. It is thus unsurprising that her 1914 novel focuses on the social issues that had been preoccupying her mother.

However, it is also a novel about marriage (hence its title): in a deeply sophisticated way it describes a middle-aged couple who love each other navigating round the rock of their differences, essentially a wife who comes to realize that the waitresses in her husband's chain of tea shops are underpaid and thus starts to question her life and family relationships once she tries to do something about the girls' working conditions.

Book 119: Long Live Great Bardfield: The Autobiography of Tirzah Garwood

EDITED AND WITH A PREFACE BY ANNE ULLMANN512pp

When Tirzah Garwood was 18 she went to Eastbourne School of Art and here she was taught by Eric Ravilious. Over the next four years she did many wood engravings (below) and these were widely praised and several were displayed by the Society of Wood Engravers. Alas, after she and Eric were married in 1930 a large part of her time was spent on domestic chores. In 1935 she had the first of her three children. In 1942 — the year she was operated on for breast cancer — she wrote her autobiography (in the evening, after the children were in bed); this has now been published with the title "Long Live Great Bardfield: The Autobiography of Tirzah Garwood."

. . .

I must also mention that I assumed Persephone would pack my six books in a box and ship them together. Instead they shipped them individually, each in a protective envelope with the number in the shipment written on the front. Books 3-6 all came on the same day but books 1 and 2 have not appeared. Persephone said they will re-place them but first I plan on checking with my local US Post Office. I've just been waiting for better weather before I do any errands.

The lost books are the first and last in this list: Nos. 39 and 119. Of course, the fact that Persephone had just published Great Bardfield is the reason I made my purchases in the first place as I am a huge fan of Eric Ravilious, Edward Bawden and their circle.

Persephone also publishes The Persephone Post, a daily photo with text which often relates to their titles; sometimes there is a weekly or seasonal theme. Always worth a look, as is their list of favorite blogs about books and reading. Those blogs are where I first learned about Persephone Books and read reviews of what they were publishing.

The painting at the top of the page is from the Persephone Post from January 9, 2017. They've been featuring paintings by Harold Knight all this week. Here's what it says underneath: "We have featured Harold Knight, husband of Laura, on the Post before but since he is one of our absolute favourites (up there with Harold Harvey and Fred Elwell) he can bear a bit of repetition. This is The Green Book 1916, it’s at the National Museum of Wales, and it’s a moot point whether the book is green — or Persephone grey."

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Some years my husband and I have given each other Christmas gifts that we've put a lot of time and thought into. But after almost 30 years of being married we don't feel unloved if there's no gift from our partner under the tree. That's because it's likely that we've already found the perfect personal treat. Just before the holidays Mark got himself a new lightweight, portable tripod while I splurged on six books from Persephone Press in the U.K.

I found a copy of The Persephone Biannually for Autumn/Winter 2016-17 in the magazine swap cart at my local library. I took it home and devoured it. In the center of the booklet was a list of the entire 120 titles Persephone has published along with brief descriptions. That's the kind of information that I find much easier to peruse in person than on-line. I spent a good two weeks debating what sounded good enough to plunk down the price of the book plus shipping from Europe.

I decided since it was Christmas and the political news was awful I might as well splurge and spend January with my nose buried in books. I sent for 6 books: a mystery, a memoir, two WWII era titles and two from the years of the Great War. If you are not familiar with Persephone Books, the company was founded in 1999 by feminist historian and biographer Nicola Beauman. They publish books, mainly by women, that are reprints of "neglected" novels, diaries, short stories, cookbooks and poetry from the early to mid-20th century.

They are paperback books with a substantial gray cover and a number on the back which indicates where it falls in the list of titles published by Persephone. Some books are available with more colorful covers decorated with artwork. But I love the simplicity and style of the gray versions. The endpapers are decorated with textile designs from the era the original book was published. A bookmark with that design is also included.

If you click on Persephone Books in my blog's categories list, it will take you to all my posts on this publisher.

Friday, August 05, 2016

One of my favorite reads is DE Stevenson's 1934 novel, "Miss Buncle's Book," which tells the story of the unassuming but highly observant Barbara Buncle, who pens a best-selling roman a clef about her country town as a way to supplement her meager income. I've read it at least three or four times, not caring that I know how it all turns out. It's well-written and smart as well as amusing in a way that seems particularly suited to summer. I've also read Stevenson's follow-up Buncle books: Miss Buncle Married and The Two Mrs. Abbots.

The three of them are a delightful triumvirate of women's literature from between the wars published by Persephone Press. I've amassed a shelf full of Persephone titles. Persephone is reminiscent of the feminist Virago Press which published forgotten women's fiction and non-fiction back in the 1970s. I still have a few of those titles on my bookshelves. I have to admit that I love the look of the sober gray covers of Persephone books as much as their contents. Those covers don't prepare you for the colorful end papers that are always based on a textile design from the same era as the book. I think that's one reason why I am willing to order these titles from the U.K as actual books rather than as e-books.

If "Miss Buncle's Book" sounds of interest to you and if you liked the 2008 movie "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day," then check out "Theodora Goes Wild." I stumbled across this 1936 film with Irene Dunne, Melvyn Douglas, Thomas Mitchell and Spring Byington on YouTube. A perfect summer romp. I won't tell you more but it won't take long watching Theodora before you see how she echos the Misses Buncle and Pettigrew.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Though it was not a conscious plan, I've added a number of different red decorative elements to my room over the years. The result is a richer, more tonal effect than I would have achieved with one shade — or texture — of red. I've also layered objects that draw the eye away from the walls making the red function as a neutral background color. Like the furniture, most of the objects in the room have a story and a history unique to me. They are decorative, but never mere decoration.

I've included the shot above as a reminder of the layout of my red room (or at least the east and south walls). The wall above the desk is covered with art. My initial impulse was that all the images would be garden related, since I already owned a Beatrice Parsons watercolor of a garden path as well as a long color etching of views of a garden.

Over time the collection has grown more eclectic and includes everything from a photo (printed by my sister from a glass plate) of an American Indian couple at a 19th century world's fair to a 1950's magazine ad that was a gift ("I dreamed I was a lady editor in my Maidenform bra!") to a Japanese print I bought in San Francisco during my student travels, and a tiny brooch sporting a scene right out of the Italian Renaissance. I found it at my favorite Door County gallery in the years when Mark was showing his work there.

I have an array of textiles that rotate in and out of this room: contemporary pillows in red felt and suede and a rectangular one made from a felt banner from Mark's high school, paisley shawls, and a pair of antique patchwork pillows (one is visible in the photo). Among my favorites is this needlepoint pillow I made as a wedding present for Mark. The design is based on one of his woodcuts, which in turn is based on a photo from the Wisconsin State Historical Society. The embroidered textile draped over the back of the chair is an Indian head covering for a donkey — the holes are for the ears! We found it many years ago on a drive in the country where we discovered a 1903 hay barn converted into a multi-floored, multi-cultural shop.

I mooned and swooned over this 19th century Spirit House for a couple of years until one day Mark decided that if I liked it that much, I could have it as a birthday splurge. The central display niches have hand-painted details on the rear walls; and the spaces behind the grillwork contain tiny vases with hydrangeas. There are pairs of working drawers and doors behind which I store jewelry. On the top of the house sit two pairs of twins: carved wood figures from Tanzania and Ecuadorian Shigras (bags), made by looping yarn spun from fibers of the Cabuya (Agave) plant.

This little origami couple come out for Valentine's Day. If you look closely (click to enlarge any photo), you can see that the woman is held in the man's embrace. But she can also be removed from his arms to stand on her own. They were made by local artist and quilter extraordinaire, Rumi O'Brien. She rarely makes anything for sale anymore, so I feel fortunate to have had a chance to purchase some of her origami work and small textile items.

The objects with the highest sheen are these lacquered boxes, providing essential storage for small items. I love their glossy good looks and their Crate & Barrel price tag. They hold more jewelry and a collection of holy cards and obituary notices of friends and family, including both my parents.

The location of these boxes amidst antiques — the Spirit House, the gilded English mirror and my grandmother's beaded bag from the 1920's — belie their mass market origins. People just assume they are the same quality as the surrounding objects.

I used to use the top of the black bookcase as a display surface — until it became the resting place for the Spirit House. I switched to playing with objects on top of my china cabinet which is located on the wall opposite the window. There's less room but it still allows me to bring out favorite items seasonally, as in this Christmas display above and the row of Persephone books and other gray-blue items below.

But most of the time, the top of the china cabinet is the home to more mundane and utilitarian collections, like my eternal TBR pile of books — glitzed up with a crown.

The china cabinet is actually used to hold china — dishes that I've collected over the years as well as those that belonged to my mother and her mother. It's also home to a few wedding presents and Mark's much-dented silver baby cup. One shelf displays the tea cups that were featured in this month's GBBD post.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

I am a big fan of the work of British artist/designer Eric Ravilious and feel fortunate to own one of his delightful Wedgewood coronation mugs. I discovered the work of Angie Lewin while searching online for more information about Ravilious. Turns out printmaker Lewin used the same Ravilious-designed mug in one of her prints (pictured below). Alas, it also turns out that I cannot afford to buy Lewin's lovely print, nor can I afford any of Ravilious' work that is still on the market — no matter the media.

But a recent Persephone Post alerted me to the fact that there are versions of the work of these two artists available in my price range. They are among the many items of interest for sale at the aptly named Ancient Industries. The business focuses on objects that have a timeless appeal and are made in traditional ways by (usually) long-established companies. Among the items featured are hot water bottles, tea pots and mugs, hand made brushes of all sorts, bike baskets; just a marvelous assortment — including a few Persephone titles.

THE PERSEPHONE POST

Ancient Industries also carries Ravilious' Wedgewood Alphabet set of dishes in blue or pink for $60. This charming group includes a plate, bowl and mug with rows of Ravilious' black and white motifs alternating with bands of alphabet letters printed over a pink or blue stripe. And they also sell a 6.5" x 5.5" linocut greeting card with Lewin's coronation mug on it — exactly like the print at the top — for a mere $4.00. There's also a 4" x 8.25" card by Lewin of the Alphabet mug.

The folks who run Ancient Industries, however, are very up-to-date and even have a blog that is worth visiting.

Friday, January 01, 2010

"I'm an artist by training, a journalist by trade, and a gardener by choice." That's how I describe myself on my "About" page. I am also a feminist, foodie, history buff, fiber and design devotee; the list is endless. Thus, I am not a single subject blogger. Gardening may be the emphasis much of the year (and I've found gardeners to be among the most friendly and responsive readers) but I have too many interests to limit myself to one.

Thus I'm especially drawn to those bloggers who don't limit themselves either. The blogs I've mentioned (in alphabetical order) may have themes but they often present them in refreshingly different ways, if not actually veering off topic occasionally. I don't know for sure what I will find when I arrive, which is what keeps me coming back.

JULIE SIEGEL

Mark posted his "significant" list yesterday; you can read it here. I should mention we had some overlaps in our individual lists, but decided to not cover the same territory. Julie Siegel (see below) took this photo of Mark and me on a very hot day last summer when the three of us toured the Allen Centennial Garden on the UW-Madison campus.

I've been following Becky Holmes' A Book A Week for a couple of years, which is strange in a way since we don't really read the same kind of books. I looked at her annual lists posted on the blog, and discovered I read one of her titles from the 2008 list, three from 2007 and four from 2006. Despite that discrepancy, I will read perceptive, well-written, succinct reviews — like Becky's — of books I probably will not read as a way to keep current with literary offerings. She keeps me in the know. She also lives in my town and we share the same library but we've never actually met — which makes me feel like a kid with a secret pal.

I love Les — A Tidewater Gardener — because almost everything on his blog is new to me. Sure, he lives in an area of the country that I barely know, but he's also a history and architecture buff, is not afraid to jump on a soapbox and consistently wows me with his photographs. I am hoping to meet him at the 2010 Garden Bloggers Fling in Buffalo. Yes?

Jim Charlier, of the Art of Gardening, keeps me current on the architectural and horticultural highs and lows of my former hometown, Buffalo NY. He has a gem of an urban garden but travels widely, offering inspiration on many fronts — always with a strong dose of opinion and wit.

I began gardening as a result of an interest in horticultural history. Garden History Girl feeds that interest with memorable images and intelligent commentary on subjects rarely seen elsewhere. She's not a garden snob so you'll find information on the gardens in the film, "Gone With the Wind," as well as the best list of gift ideas for gardeners I saw in the blogosphere this holiday. And her name is Arcady — how perfect is that?

Julie Siegel is one of the first people that Mark and I discovered on-line. We investigated her Web site while debating about taking a garden design workshop she was teaching in Madison. Her site was — and is — both logical and beautiful, letting Julie's personality and interests shine through. After taking two classes with her, we all became fast friends.

Certainly I follow Julie's blog — J. Siegel Designs Blog — because of that relationship. But also because she is deeply committed to social justice issues, especially where they intersect with environmental concerns. It's an area I'm interested in from afar; Julie's in the field. She's a role model, a font of information, an artist raised in a family of artists and a great garden tourist and guide.

Knitting Letters: A to Z is an abcdarium in which the letterforms being celebrated are knit. It's a mind-boggling concept to someone like me who does not knit. But as one who collects alphabet books, doodles alphabets, and loves fiber, it's a natural fit nevertheless. The knitted letters are stunning gems but what makes this blog so valuable is the informative essays, links and sources that accompany each letter. The most recent letter "T" is all about Turkey (the country, not the bird) and is a rich compendium of that country's textile history. The knitting will wow you, but you'll stay for the mini-courses.

Martha B. took a break from her blog — Nibs: My Points of View — last year that left me devastated. Now she's back and better than ever. Nibs has carved out a number of niches: Weddings (particularly the clothing), "Shop Your Closet," and (visual design) Vocabulary to name just a few. She has a stylist's touch with her fashion photos while her images of personal landscapes are timeless. Her posts range from whimsical to thoughtful but always with a palpable sense of her warmth and charm.

As a woman who has purchased a plenitude of Persephone Books by post, I was particularly pleased when the UK publisher started a blog, The Persephone Post. It's always one single image with a brief text — "a parallel in pictures" they call it — making it the perfect way to start my day. If you are not yet a fan of Persephone books, do visit the company's site where bookish types will also enjoy the fortnightly letter.

Style Court is one of the first blogs I ever read and I continue to follow it consistently. Courtney concentrates on interior design with an emphasis on textiles (new and antique), emerging regional artists and galleries, how to frame/group/display artwork, gracious living (a Southern specialty) — all topics I find endlessly fascinating. A Style Court post may range from the texture of handmade paper to the flounce on a curtain to the lighting in a film. All beautifully connected and presented in such a way that those in the know will benefit as much as those just being introduced to the topic.

WISCONSIN BLOGS: Suffice it to say that I buy local and read local, too. In addition to A Book a Week, I find the following blogs especially appealing as a state resident, but you don't have to live here to enjoy them. Letter From Here is written by a Madison guy who's a superb photographer with something to say, literally and visually. Outside the LIne is the offering of a newly transplanted Madisonian who is also a font designer and alphabet doodler. Reading her blog, I get to see my city in a whole new light — and realize all that I am missing by being — perhaps — too much of a homebody. The Impatient Gardener is a sailor, magazine editor, gardener and designer of the interior and exterior of her home. Lots of projects and inspiration to get me jazzed about my own home and garden.

There's no better way to start the New Year than with a visit to some of these great blogs!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Reminding all readers (of books, not blogs) that Read a Persephone Book Week — sponsored by bloggers Paperback Reader and The B Files (Baking & Bibliophilia) — starts tomorrow. In case you've forgotten the plan, the two will be spending the coming week exclusively reading books from the estimable English publisher, Persephone Books. I discovered Persephone in early 2008 and have sung their praises ever since in both print and cyberspace (check out my categories list).

Since I easily have a week's worth of Persephone titles on my shelf, this challenge may be the impetus I need to finish the half-read ones and get started on the unread ones, like "Greenery Street."

ROSES OVER A COTTAGE DOOR

And maybe, like Roses Over A Cottage Door, I'll even dress in gray (above). I'm sure I have a t-shirt like hers somewhere in the back of the closet. Thus, suitably attired, I can curl up on my gray-damask-covered couch, surrounded by my piles of gray-covered books, and hope for gray skies so I'm not tempted to put down my book and pick up my trowel.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Actually it's Miss Buncle's book that's put the smile on my face. That is, DE Stevenson's 1934 novel, "Miss Buncle's Book," which tells the story of the unassuming but highly observant Barbara Buncle, who pens a best-selling roman a clef about her country town.

Published as "Disturber of the Peace," under the nome de plume John Smith, the book has that exact effect on her neighbors, with its healthy dose of wit and irony in its depictions of the personalities and goings on of sleepy little Silverstream aka Copperfield. In the second part of "Disturber," however, Miss Buncle gives free reign to her imagination, fantasizing a Golden Boy whose music has an incendiary effect on some of the townsfolk.

The endpapers in "Miss Buncle's Book" are taken from "Flower vase lit by rays from a table lamp," a screen-printed cotton and rayon designed by Vanessa Bell for Allan Walton Textiles in 1934.

"Disturber" becomes a best seller to the dismay of the more officious and hypocritical members of the community who threaten libel suits and determine to unmask John Smith, going to lengths that Miss Buncle's publisher considers stranger than fiction.

Stevenson's Miss Buncle is a first cousin to Winifred Watson's Miss Pettigrew. They're both unappreciated women of a certain age who draw on unsuspected reserves of creativity and intelligence to pull themselves out of dire financial straits. In the process, they transform themselves and those around them — to the endless delight of this reader. It seems amazing to never have heard of Stevenson, given that four million copies of her books were sold in Britain and three million in the U.S. between 1923 and 1970. Thanks again to Persephone for providing another perfect read.

Miss Buncle's Golden Boy graces the cover of this early edition of the book. Persephone's reprint, of course, is clothed in its distinctive discrete grey covers.

Two bloggers are having a Read a Persephone Book week next month for all you fans of the publisher. I still have a couple of unread titles on my shelf so I may try to join in.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

If you're lucky enough to be in London today, then you can stop in Persephone Books in Lamb Conduit Street to celebrate this delightful publisher's birthday. "There are cute books, there are beautiful books," said the Irish Times, "and then there are Persephone books." Quite so.

Persephone's first book came out in March, 1999. But they note that — like the Queen — they are celebrating in June; today, in fact. There will be all sorts of tempting taste treats on offer as well as a special offer for visitors: three books for the price of two — today only and only in the shop.

My Persephone titles lined up on top of my china cabinet in my red sitting room.

But Persephone has kindly extended that offer to those of us who must buy from abroad for this whole week. I had been thinking about how lovely it would be to have something new from Persephone to read this summer and now here is my chance! Great titles at a great price. The free book will ship surface mail no matter what method you chose for your other two titles. I've discovered on past orders, however, that surface mail is virtually as quick as airmail and in some cases has actually been faster.

What did I order, you ask? One of the most recent titles, "Miss Buncle's Book" by DE Stevenson (No. 81); one of the early titles, "A Woman's Place:1910-75 by Ruth Adam (No. 20, endpaper shown above); and one from the middle. "The Runaway" by Elizabeth Anna Hart with illustrations by Gwen Raverat (No. 37, endpaper shown below). At least that's what I meant to do. I had a bit of difficulty this time deciding which titles to pick, and seem to have messed up my order in my confused state. So I am currently corresponding with Lydia at the shop to be sure I am getting the books I intended!

If you haven't been on Persephone's Web site lately, it's worth a visit. The smart women who run Persephone have added a daily blog post that is a must and the way I now begin my morning. They very aptly describe it as a "parallel in pictures to Persephone Books." The first entry (below) gives a clue as to how those lovely gray book covers originated:

"The first Persephone book ten years ago this spring, and the most recent: ten years of endpapers wrapped round the grey of a Dean & Deluca cup; first noticed by us in New York in 1998, thereby prompting the question — why can't books look as chic as a coffee cup?"